“He grabbed me by my ankles”: Former DEI employee recalls hilarious and ‘stuttering’ first encounter with Dale Earnhardt 

Former Dale Earnhardt Inc. employee Kevin Pennell joined Dale Jr. on the latest episode of his Dale Jr. Download podcast. During the podcast, Pennell reminisced about his first meeting with the seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, ending hilariously.

Dale Sr. was known for his intimidating persona, and it extended beyond the racetracks. Following that, the former DEI employee recalled a moment from his days working in the Deer Head Shop. Pennell pointed out that Tony Eury Jr. left the race shop to grab something while he was working on a car.

While lying underneath the car, the former DEI employee heard cowboy boots walking across the floor. Suddenly, without giving any warning, Dale Earnhardt Sr. pulled him out, and Pennell was staggered by this incident. He stuttered when Dale Sr. asked him who he was. Later, remembering the hilarious incident, the former employee stated [00:40 onwards]:

"Your dad came in because it wasn't; it was the cowboy boots walking on the floor that walked over the top of me lying underneath the car and grabbed me by my ankles and dragged me out from underneath the car. And I've never seen him in person, never been around him. And the first deal was looking straight up at him, and you know, his deal was, Who the hell are you?" "And I, you know, got, you know, kind of the clammy mouth, you know, stuttering going, you know, Kevin, and he kind of looked down at me, you know what I mean? He says, 'Well, I'm glad to meet you,' and he sort of stutter and goes, 'Kevin.'" And that's how we struck things off," he added.

Dale Earnhardt Sr. competed in 676 races in his 27-year career and amassed seven Cup Series championship titles. Additionally, he secured 76 wins, 281 top-fives, 428 top-tens, and 22 pole positions.

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Dale Earnhardt Jr. dropped a four-word reaction to his father's iconic 1988 Daytona 500 ride

Earlier this year, Dale Earnhardt Jr. shared a picture of his father, Dale Earnhardt Sr., driving the iconic black Richard Childress Racing Chevy on his Instagram story. The post was originally shared by a fan page dedicated to Dale Sr., regularly sharing posts that take everyone down memory lane.

The former Cup Series champion drove the iconic #3 Chevy for RCR in 529 races in his career. He amassed 67 wins, 228 top fives, 348 top tens, and 18 pole positions piloting the Chevy. However, the #3 Chevy had a major special paint scheme update for the 1988 season.

The color of Earnhardt Sr.'s ride was changed from yellow to black for the new sponsor, GM Goodwrench. Reflecting on the iconic black car, Dale Earnhardt Jr. captioned the story:

"Damn this goes hard"

Dale Sr. competed in 29 races in the 1988 season and wrapped the season in third place. Additionally, he clinched three wins, 13 top fives, and 19 top tens, earning 4256 points in the season.

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Edited by Tushhita Barua